Amb. Rajendra Abhyankar talks on "Civil Wars in Syria and Iraq, ISIS and the ‘Caliphate’"

Comprised of essays by a host of leading scholars, this comprehensive
volume examines the issues that will most influence India’s development
of a policy approach towards the states of West Asia. India’s relations
with this region have historically been based on geographical proximity
and cultural and religious affinity, but the significant role West Asia
will play in fulfilling India’s burgeoning energy, trade, and economic
needs is indisputable. Recent momentous developments in the region have
the potential to impact India’s security and will influence the
parameters within which Indian interests will locate themselves in the
future. Topics ranging from the rise of Pan-Islamism to political
transitions in countries such as Turkey and China are also addressed in
this extensive study.

Ambassador Rajendra Abhyankar was India’s High Commissioner to Cyprus
and Ambassador to Syria (1992-96), Turkey and Azerbaijan. He retired
from the Indian Foreign Service in August 2005 after more than 36 years
of multi-faceted diplomatic experience of people, places and issues. His
talk at ORF Mumbai on 18 July 2014 focussed on the current situation in
Syria and Iraq, the violence unleashed by the self-styled ‘Islamic
State of Iraq and Syria’ (ISIS) and the dramatic declaration of a
‘caliphate’ by its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Ambassador Rajendra Abhyankar was the Indian Secretary of External
Affairs from 2001-2004 and has served as the Indian Ambassador to the
EU, Belgium and Luxemburg, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Syria, and Cyprus. He was
also the Consul General of India in San Francisco, California. He
currently serves as Advisor, The Asia Foundation India.

The audio is a bit hard to hear in this video, but it's an interesting lecture by an experienced diplomat who is knowledgeable about Syria and Iraq.